With Beltre out, isn’t it time for Morse?

Bad news out of Los Angeles where Adrian Beltre says he’s going to undergo surgery on his ailing left shoulder instead of continuing to play through the pain.

Beltre is starting tonight’s game against the Dodgers, then will undergo surgery to remove a bone spur as soon as possible, according to the Mariners.

Mike Morse

That seems a wise decision, given the struggles Beltre has endured and the pain he feels every time he lifts his arm above shoulder level due to the same type of problem that forced him out last year as well.

But the move puts the Mariners in a huge bind as Beltre now will be out 6-8 weeks right when Seattle is attempting to contend in the AL West. Not to mention Beltre’s trade value by the July 31 deadline just dropped to zero.

And there is the fact Yuniesky Betancourt just went on the 15-day disabled list, leaving Ronny Cedeno already filling in there. And Endy Chavez also just went down for the year with his knee injury.

General manager Jack Zduriencik told reporters in L.A. that he didn’t have a firm plan in place yet, but speculated on Jose Lopez moving to third or using Chris Woodward there.

The M’s also could consider moving Russell Branyan to third, where he played earlier in his career, which would allow rookie Mike Carp to get playing time at first. That move has some merit, though Branyan would be a defensive liability.

But why not bring Mike Morse up from Tacoma and let him play third? Though Morse has been playing shortstop recently for the Rainiers this year, he seems like a natural third baseman with his size and range.

Morse is hitting .307 in Tacoma with nine home runs and 50 RBIs in 65 games. I’d put him ahead of Cedeno by a long shot at this point and certainly capable of hitting with more power than Woodward.

Matt Tuiasosopo seemed the best bet at season’s start when he opened the year with the Mariners before being sent to Tacoma, but he underwent elbow surgery in mid-May and is still recovering as well.

Morse is healthy and it seems like he’s been waiting in the wings forever now, just for this purpose. If now isn’t the time to give him a shot, when is?